Just hours before the start of key peace talks in Switzerland, Tehran sent a sharp warning to the White House.
Mohammad Mokhber, an adviser to the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic, said on social media that energy supplies from the Middle East to the US would be cut off if the recently signed agreement remained only “on paper”.
The diplomatic pressure comes at a critical moment as delegations from both sides try to agree on the details of the historic “Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding“ signed in mid-June by Presidents Donald Trump and Masoud Pezeshkian.
In his official statement on the X platform, Mokhber stressed that Iranian negotiators will only be satisfied with the “full and real implementation“ of the agreed terms.“The Americans understand the language of economics and the balance between costs and benefits best. If the US does not fulfill its commitments under the memorandum, the flow of energy resources from the region will be stopped“, the senior adviser warned.
According to international observers, Tehran's rhetoric is a classic move to raise the stakes. Iran is trying to accelerate the actual lifting of economic sanctions and the release of its blocked billions, using the oil weapon as leverage at the very beginning of the 60-day negotiation process in Switzerland.
The signed 14-point memorandum ended a four-month intense military conflict, but its implementation is already facing serious obstacles. The document stipulates: Iran to stop uranium enrichment and immediately open the strategic Strait of Hormuz for a period of 60 days, and the US to lift the oil embargo and unfreeze $24 billion in Iranian assets.
However, tensions escalated over the weekend after the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) announced that it was closing the Strait of Hormuz again - a claim that the US Central Command (CENTCOM) immediately denied, stating that shipping in the area remains free.
Additional discord is also being caused by the situation in Lebanon. Although the memorandum calls for a ceasefire, Israel continues its air strikes against the group “Hezbollah“, which leads Tehran to accuse Washington of not controlling its main ally in the region.
Despite the threats, the diplomatic shuttles continue. The US delegation is personally led by Vice President DJ Vance and Donald Trump's son-in-law – Jared Kushner. On the Iranian side, the negotiations are led by Parliament Speaker Mohammad Ghalibaf.
Whether Mokhber's threat will block the dialogue or force the US to make faster concessions remains to be seen in the coming days of the summit in Switzerland.